On display will be the handiwork of all 460 kids in grades six through eight who participated in the heirloom family project.

Kagan began working with 15 classes at the Northeast Portland school
December. Because she owns a business that makes family heirloom
projects, she taught the students how she interviews clients and how she
makes art involving their ancestors. The students researched their
relatives, dug up old photographs and maps and retold the journeys of
their families.

"The focus was their family migration," she said. "The idea with the
project is through learning about their family stories, they learn the
history of the United States, and, through stories of immigration and
movement, how cultures have come together, evolved and changed. Their
teachers thought this would be a great way for them to have a personal
involvement in history."

Courtesy Lisa KaganLisa Kagan works with students at da Vinci Arts Middle School during the family heirloom school-wide project.

The art show will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 28 at the school at 2508 NE Everett Street.

"Some of the pieces are really expressive and unique," Kagan said. "The
thing that surprised me was the real range of experiences."

Some kids traced six generations in Oregon. Some told Holocaust stories.
Others learned of ancestors who left political unrest or religious persecution.

"I think the kids really had a chance to get in touch with where they
came from," she said. "I think a lot of them were surprised. Once they
got into it, they realized their stories were amazing, each and every
one of them."